Kessil A360X & Reef Brite LED Hybrid Kit

[ChiReefGuy3]

I am planning a mixed reef tank (majority SPS) and am wondering if 2 Kessil A360X's are enough when paired with the Reef Brite LED Hybrid Fixture for a 4ft tank.

BRS Recommends 4 Kessil A360X's for a 4-foot tank but then I stumbled upon "Randy's 4ft. SPS Lighting Bundle" (link below) on their website which only utilizes 2 A360X's along with the Reef Brite LED Hybrid Fixture. Could the 2 Reef Brite LED strips really be sufficient enough to replace 2 A360X's? Has anyone tried this / measured PAR?

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/randy-s-4ft-sps-lighting-bundle-bulk-reef-supply.html

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[Cichlid23]

In short, yes. That is powerful enough. Kessil makes some pretty bright lights so wouldn’t be worried about getting enough par so much as the spread of it, which those two do very well in combination, which is why I think that is a better lighting option that just the Kessil A360X’s

 

[ChiReefGuy3]

In short, yes. That is powerful enough. Kessil makes some pretty bright lights so wouldn’t be worried about getting enough par so much as the spread of it, which those two do very well in combination, which is why I think that is a better lighting option that just the Kessil A360X’s

Thank you!!!

 

[minus9]

If your goal is sps dominant, then you’re going to need at least 4 360x’s. I wouldn’t count on the xho’s to provide much par, but more fill light. If it were me, I would ditch the xho’s altogether and add some Quanta Pro bars and then you could start with 3 360x’s and add another down the road as needed. I love Kessil’s, but you need to create overlap with them to reduce shading.

 

[ChiReefGuy3]

If your goal is sps dominant, then you’re going to need at least 4 360x’s. I wouldn’t count on the xho’s to provide much par, but more fill light. If it were me, I would ditch the xho’s altogether and add some Quanta Pro bars and then you could start with 3 360x’s and add another down the road as needed. I love Kessil’s, but you need to create overlap with them to reduce shading.

Thanks, minus9! Which Quanta Pro bars would you recommend?

 

[afrokobe]

Thanks, minus9! Which Quanta Pro bars would you recommend?

depends what spectrum/look you want. I find kessil a bit lacking in the blue pop, so I would get the meso blue quanta bars.

 

[minus9]

Thanks, minus9! Which Quanta Pro bars would you recommend?

There are two choices, Meso Blue and OG Pop. For acropora (all sps) I would go with the Meso Blue, which has a good amount of violet built in. Then you can dial up the color % of the Kessil's a little higher, which is how I used mine when paired with Orphek bars. With the Kessil's, I would match the violet % to your peak intensity and you're good to go. You can mix in a little red and green, but I would keep it under 15%.
The reason why I love the Quantas over xho's and Orpheks, is the spectrum, spread and intensity. Two Quanta Pro bars out performed two 3' xho's and three 2' OR2 blue plus bars combined.
If you want the extra pop or deeper blue look, then the OG Pop will be the way to go, but I think you'll be happy with the Meso Blues. Reach out to Luca @Lousybreed and he'll help you select the right bars for your setup and goals.

 

[ChiReefGuy3]

Super helpful. Thank you so much, everyone!

 

[Patrick Cox]

Super helpful. Thank you so much, everyone!

Hi, what did you end up doing on this? I am considering the same for my 5' tank. Thanks.

 

[SpSDrew]

I run 3 kessils and a quad reef brite strip and the bulk of the par is coming from the reef brites.

Kessils are ran at 70% and reefbrites at 100%. I get low 200s at the bottom and high 700 at the top

 

[Judson_f]

I run 3 kessils and a quad reef brite strip and the bulk of the par is coming from the reef brites.

Kessils are ran at 70% and reefbrites at 100%. I get low 200s at the bottom and high 700 at the top

Old post i know but what did you use to mount these if you don't mind me asking? I have a quad kit coming in the mail & not super keen on hanging from the ceiling. Also with kessils for the main lights

 

[SpSDrew]

Old post i know but what did you use to mount these if you don't mind me asking? I have a quad kit coming in the mail & not super keen on hanging from the ceiling. Also with kessils for the main lights

This was mounted with 2 Kessil mounts on the back of the stand. Had to order the extension kit with 2 arms I believe. Worked out pretty well. I ran blocks of wood on the back of the tank to help support the poles so they didn’t bend from the weight.

 

[Judson_f]

This was mounted with 2 Kessil mounts on the back of the stand. Had to order the extension kit with 2 arms I believe. Worked out pretty well. I ran blocks of wood on the back of the tank to help support the poles so they didn’t bend from the weight.

Thank you!
I might have to hang it anyways. Its the 60" quad strip so might be a bit much for weight